Happiness doesn’t come from material things or money. It comes from deeper fulfillment and by being content from within.
First, let me explain why a lifestyle based off of money and material things don’t bring us happiness.
If you rely on money for your happiness, then you fall into an endless cycle of frustration. What cycle? The cycle of thinking “I’ll be happy if I get X,” then getting X, not being satisfied, then thinking “I’ll be happy if I get Y,” then getting Y, and then keeping on with that same cycle of frustration. Unfortunately, this is what we’ve been led to believe - that chasing after money and after temporary things will bring us fulfillment.
But it doesn’t. In America, people are more depressed and anxious than ever, even though we have so much. That’s because the more you have, the more you want, and the harder it is to find true happiness and contentment.
Then what does happiness look like if it doesn’t involve material things?
Have you ever searched all over the place for something, only to realize that you’ve had it with you all along? Happiness is like that. Rather than trying to fulfill every desire that comes to our minds, we can instead be content with what we currently have.
Trying to achieve every passion we have is an endless process that only leads to frustration because the more we try to satisfy our desires, the more wishes we end up having. And we can never be happy if we are always in a state of desiring something because as long as we want something, we can never achieve peace in the current moment.
The way to achieve this state of contentment is through spirituality. There’s a reason every significant culture has had a component of spirituality to it. We’re spiritual beings at our core. Through spirituality, we reconnect to our source (The Supreme, God, Allah, Jehovah, Krishna, etc.). By doing so, we begin to experience everlasting, ever-increasing bliss. Through this bliss, we can become entirely happy and content.
We become unconditionally excited meaning that we’re so glad all the time despite other circumstances in our life. You won’t have to search out for happiness anymore. You’ll always have it with you instead.
Look how happy he is. Proof that you don’t need much to be happy.
Therefore, the path of inner contentment will always bring more happiness than the path of greed and materialism.